The cross country teams made a strong showing at the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships in Brea, with both the men’s and women’s squads delivering standout performances.
For the men, junior Finn McClure led the way with a 17th-place finish, clocking in at 25:46, which earned him All-SCIAC Second Team honors. His effort helped the Leopards place fifth overall, just nine points shy of a top-four finish. Junior Zyeir Shabete followed in 21st place with a time of 25:50, while sophomore Fernando Cortez Jr. finished 25th in 26:09.
Rounding out the men’s scoring, junior Thomas Taniguchi placed 30th, and sophomore Isaac Stockton showed notable improvement, shaving nearly two minutes off his previous course time to finish in 27:08.
The women’s team also delivered a solid performance, placing seventh overall. Senior Marissa Hehir led the squad with a time of 23:21, securing 21st place. Junior Ryleigh LaRue followed in 42nd at 24:02, with sophomore Liz Garcia close behind in 58th at 25:09.
Other key performances included junior Peyton Carrera, who placed 66th with a time of 26:02, and sophomore Ashley Kodama in 76th at 26:37.
Sophomore Jenna Schwarz 26:36, sophomore Daisy Sanchez 27:52 and freshman Chloe Chong 28:59 rounded out the team’s scoring, with freshman Madison Rios finishing in 30:25.
Both teams now turn their attention to the NCAA West Regionals in Portland, Oregon, on Nov. 16. The Leopards look to carry the momentum and build on these performances at the NCAA regional level.
—Jonas Holt
Jonas Holt is a senior journalism major with a concentration in print and online journalism. He is sports editor of the Campus Times, a staff writer for La Verne Magazine and staff photographer for both publications. He has previously been a staff writer for the Campus Times.
